Displaying wrapper ads

Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2

You can use wrappers to provide advertisements or other content when users first connect to your server and/or when the content stream ends. When you specify a wrapper for your content, Windows Media Services includes that content as part of a wrapper playlist. A wrapper playlist enables you to insert your choice of opening and closing content as a playlist item before and after the primary content.

In addition to advertisements, content commonly streamed as wrappers includes dynamic playlists that are generated by Active Server Pages (ASP), site branding, and sponsor identification.

For example, a unicast client that connects to a live stream for which a wrapper advertisement was specified must first play back all of the content specified in the wrapper playlist before it can stream the live content.

The following procedure demonstrates how to append advertising to the beginning and end of a live broadcast using wrappers. Wrappers are a special type of playlist that can be used to reference ads and other content that precede or follow user-requested content, or both. Wrappers commonly include introductory pages that generate custom playlists, site branding, and sponsor identification. Wrappers are especially effective when used with live streaming because they ensure that the audience will view the advertising content no matter when they join the broadcast. The source of advertising content can be either a locally-stored file or a link to a participating advertiser's server.

You have the option of starting, stopping, and resuming the broadcast stream based on one or more user connections, but the user experience will be similar to tuning in to a radio or television broadcast. Live content viewers do not have the ability to pause, fast-forward, or rewind the content of a broadcast and will join the broadcast in process.

For the following procedure, it is assumed that you have another computer running Microsoft Expression Encoder that is broadcasting a live stream and that you have prerecorded advertising content available. This procedure uses the Create Wrapper Wizard to create a wrapper that streams the prerecorded advertising content before and after the live broadcast. It does not specifically address setting up a live stream.

To add a wrapper advertisement to a stream

  1. Do the following to start the Create Wrapper Wizard:

    • In Windows Media Services, in the console tree, expand the server from which you want to stream content, and then expand Publishing Points.

    • Click the broadcast publishing point in which you want to include a wrapper. In the details pane, click the Advertising tab.

    • Click Wrapper Editor to open the Wrapper Playlist Editor Options dialog box.

    • Click Create playlist file, and then select the Use the Create Wrapper Wizard check box. The Create Wrapper Wizard appears.

  2. Use the following settings in the Create Wrapper Wizard to add advertising content to your wrapper playlist:

    • On the Welcome page, click Next.

    • On the Wrapper Playlist File page, click the Add Advertisement button. The Add Advertisement dialog box appears.

    • Type the location of the advertising content or click the Browse button to locate the advertisements. Click OK.

    • Repeat the previous steps as necessary to add all of the desired wrapper advertisements.

    • Change the location of the wrapper ads before by clicking an individual item and then clicking the Move Up or Move Down buttons.

    • On the Save Wrapper Playlist File page, type a unique file name and location for your wrapper playlist.

    • Select the Start publishing point when wizard finishes check box to reset the publishing point, allowing all enabled wrappers to play as scheduled.

    • Select the Enable wrapper playlist when wizard finishes check box to use the new wrapper playlist immediately, and then click Finish.